As data and identity theft becomes more and more common, the market is growing for biometric(生物测量) technologies—like fingerprint scans—to keep others out of private e-spaces. At present, these technologies are still expensive, though.
Researchers from Georgia Tech say that they have come up with a low-cost device(装置) that gets around this problem: a smart keyboard. This smart keyboard precisely measures the cadence(节奏) with which one types and the pressure fingers apply to each key. The keyboard could offer a strong layer of security by analyzing things like the force of a user’s typing and the time between key presses. These patterns are unique to each person. Thus, the keyboard can determine people’s identities, and by extension, whether they should be given access to the computer it’s connected to—regardless of whether someone gets the password right.
It also doesn’t require a new type of technology that people aren’t already familiar with. Everybody uses a keyboard and everybody types differently.
In a study describing the technology, the researchers had 100 volunteers type the word “touch” four times using the smart keyboard. Data collected from the device could be used to recognize different participants based on how they typed, with very low error rates. The researchers say that the keyboard should be pretty straightforward to commercialize and is mostly made of inexpensive, plastic-like parts. The team hopes to make it to market in the near future.
1.Why do the researchers develop the smart keyboard?
A.To reduce pressure on keys. B.To improve accuracy in typing.
C.To replace the password system. D.To cut the cost of e-space protection.
2.What makes the invention of the smart keyboard possible?
A.Computers are much easier to operate.
B.Fingerprint scanning techniques develop fast.
C.Typing patterns vary from person to person.
D.Data security measures are guaranteed.
3.What do the researchers expect of the smart keyboard?
A.It’ll be environment-friendly. B.It’ll reach consumers soon.
C.It’ll be made of plastics. D.It’ll help speed up typing.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A diary. B.A guidebook C.A novel. D.A magazine.
Chinese students always complain that they’re under great pressure and don’t get enough sleep. But they may be surprised to learn that they’re much luckier than their peers (同龄人) in South Korea and Japan, according to a recently published report, conducted by Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences on the physical and mental health of senior high school students in the three Asian countries.
According to the study among nearly 6,000 high school students in the three countries, Chinese students are the tallest but poorest in physical fitness. Chinese students are on average 168.17cm, compared with 167.61cm for South Korean students and 164.70cm for Japanese students. Chinese students asked for sick leave more than students in other countries. About 72 percent of Korean students never asked for sick and injury leave during high school, compared to 53 percent for Japanese students and 45 percent for Chinese students. Moreover, Chinese students drink alcohol and smoke earlier than Korean and Japanese students. Around 70 percent of Chinese students have drunk alcohol, compared to 50 percent for Korean and Japanese students.
According to the survey, Japanese and South Korean students suffer more pressure than their Chinese peers. Statistics show 16 percent of students in China said they experienced mental pressure often over the past year, while the numbers in Japan and South Korea were 33 percent and 47 percent respectively. Their worries come from “study”, “future after graduation”, “friendships” and “relationship with their parents”. To go with stress, 57.9 percent of Korean students sleep the least, less than six hours a day, compared with 46.6 percent of Japanese students and 30 percent of Chinese students.
More Chinese students were satisfied with their physical appearance, double that of students in the survey from Japan and South Korea. The report said that over half of students in South Korea had tried to lose weight in the past year, while in China the figure was only 22 percent. In measures of self-worth, such as “I think I am valuable” and “I think I am successful”, “I can complete many things”, “I won’t give up to failure,” Chinese students showed greater self-confidence than students in Japan and South Korea.
1.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.Chinese teenagers are tallest, but most unhealthy.
B.Chinese students drink most alcohol and smoke earliest.
C.Japanese students ask for least sick leave.
D.Chinese students ask for sick leave most often.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A.Chinese students are luckiest, yet most unsuccessful
B.Chinese students are confident in themselves and luckier
C.Japanese students are most stressed
D.South Korean students sleep the least
3.What does the underlined word “that” refer to?
A.the height B.the percentage
C.the weight D.the number
4.The worries that cause students to be stressed come from the following factors EXCEPT _______.
A.study and career B.physical appearance
C.friendships D.family relationship
All eyes were on Jack Ma. The chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd stepped down on Teachers’ Day from leading the e-commerce giant he founded 20 years ago.
“I still have lots of dreams to go after,” Ma wrote in an open letter last year to announce his parting. “The world is big, and I am still young, so I want to try new things.”
The 55-year-old businessman showed that he was ready for new things by arriving at his farewell party dressed up like a rock star.
In fact, his rags-to-riches story is a good example of doing something different. Visiting the United States in 1995, Ma saw the internet and had the idea of setting up his own trading website. In 1999, he founded Alibaba with a group of friends in a shared apartment, struggling for years to get it off the ground. With all the challenges, the company slowly brought e-commerce to China.
Although his success has inspired a number of Chinese tech businessmen, Ma pointed out that the key is having a dream. “It’s the dreams that keep us never afraid of setbacks,” Ma said in a video posted on Sept 9. Now the experienced businessman is looking to focus on education. What can he offer? “I’m not gonna teach English; I’m not gonna teach business. But I’m gonna teach young people how to face challenges,” he told Bloomberg News. Skilled sailors were never made on calm waters.
As Ma said, “Today is cruel. Tomorrow is crueler. But the day after tomorrow is beautiful.”
1.Why did Jack Ma attract all the attention on Teachers’ Day in 2019？
A.He led the Alibaba Group to celebrate the Teachers’ Day.
B.He would become the former chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
C.He and a group of friends founded Alibaba Group 20 years ago.
D.He gave a special show dressed up like a rock star.
2.What will Jack Ma do after his parting from Alibaba？
A.He will be an English teacher.
B.He will be a rock star.
C.He will continue to be a businessman.
D.He will try something new related to education.
3.Which statement about Jack Ma is NOT true according to the passage？
A.Ma’s success lies in pursuing his dream and making great effort.
B.Jack Ma was worried about the future of education in China.
C.Jack Ma always wants to challenge himself in new fields.
D.Jack Ma would like to encourage young people to overcome difficulties.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
文华中学的读书节即将展开，学校将给每个班级配发图书（按下图显示的比例），放置在班级中，总量为 20 本。现在学校向学生们征求意见，假设你是该学校的学生李华， 请你给学校写封邮件，描述提供的图书类型并谈谈你的意见与建议。（学科辅导类： test-prep books）
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.何不喝杯咖啡提一下神？（Why）
2.随着每年元旦的临近，人们常常会反思这一年的得与失。（reflect）
3.几个月前举行的展览如同一扇窗，从这里，世界能看到这个国家古老的文明从哪里来，向何处去。（which）
4.登山运动的吸引力不仅在于运动员之间的激烈竞争，还体现在运动员与自然环境的抗争中。（Not only...）
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
How Supermarkets Are Changing Britain
The British love their supermarkets. And there are more and more of them every year. But is this a good thing?
Not necessarily. For a start, many small shops can’t compete on price with superstores such as Tesco. And they don’t have as many products either. As a result, 36% of the UK’s small shops shut down between 1990 and 1996 while the number of supermarkets increased from 457 to 1,102. Supermarkets have even had a negative effect on the British pub. Beer and wine is much cheaper in a supermarket than in a pub. There are now over 55,000 supermarkets in the UK, but less than 55,000 pubs. A decade ago there were more than 61,000. These days, pubs are closing at the rate of 39 a week!
Supermarkets are also bad for animal welfare. The UK has high standards in this field, but some supermarkets get their meat from abroad. And in many cases, this meat is produced under conditions that would be illegal in the UK. But once they’ve got the meat, supermarkets put a British flag on the product as the meat is packed there. Dishonest? Not exactly, but it isn’t entirely true either!
Supermarkets have a poor environmental record too. Many of them don’t store food products themselves as storage space is expensive, so they get food producers to do it for them. This means that supermarket lorries have to make more trips to collect supplies. In turn, this increases the amount of petrol used, which leads to more pollution. Supermarkets also use a lot of plastic packaging, which isn’t good for the environment either.
So, what can be done to help the “little guys”? Not much really. Supermarkets have a lot of power. Many political parties receive donations from supermarkets. And supermarkets often use their money to influence decisions. For example, just before the year 2000, one supermarket gave the government £12 million to help build the Millennium Dome in London. Later, plans to tax supermarket car parks were dropped.
